Undaunted, I drew up plans for a pavilion to replace the bandstand and have been attempting to sell this plan to the city council for the past four years. The main selling points of the proposed pavilion can be summarized as follows:

• It would include enclosed restrooms that would replace the unsightly port-o-jonnies.
• It would provide a more pleasing place for picnics and reunions.
• It would include a small kitchen that would facilitate food service.
• It would be the focal point of the park filling in the blank space left by the demolished bandstand.
• Finally, it would restore a memorial for the World War I veterans for which the bandstand was originally built in 1922 by the women of Minonk.

The finance committee recommended that the adhoc Westside Park Pavilion Committee should meet with the architect to determine if the current design can be modified to just include restrooms. According to the finance committee's recommendations, if a pavilion is to be built in addition to the restrooms, then the money for that portion will have to come from private funding. In other words, to complete the pavilion as currently designed will require an additional $46,000 of private funding. The original bandstand committee has $7,000 and there is an additional $3,000 promised from private sources. That leaves about a $36,000 shortfall.

Last month the city council gave me slap in the face when they voted to give the World War I plaque from the old bandstand along with $2000 to the local VFW and American Legion to find a suitable place to display the plaque. What do they think I have been trying to do for the last 14 years? In addition, City Treasurer Steve O'Riely said in so many words that the city doesn't have the responsibility or the money to restore the bandstand. He said that I should raise the money just like the committee did for the building of the new grandstand at the athletic field. I replied that the city didn't tear down the old grandstand like they did the bandstand.

So fellow citizens, it is up to us to decide if the war memorial that was built by the women of Minonk in 1922 will be replaced by a suitable structure befitting a memorial. I personally don't think putting a plaque on a restroom is appropriate.

The purpose of this editorial is to elicit comments from current and former Minonk residents on their opinion on replacing the old bandstand. The question is, can this community raise $36,000 to build a pavilion in the Westside Park?

There will be a meeting in the back room of St. Paul's Church next Thusday evening, March 14, at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the possibility of kicking off a fund drive for the pavilion. I urge those of you who are interested in this project to come to the meeting. To see a picture of the proposed pavilion, , click here.

Other cities like Roanoke, Benson, and Eureka have nice facilities for picnics and reunions. Minonk deserves one as well. The current picnic shelter at the Westside Park looks like a bombed out airplane hanger.

I ask every Minonk resident to ponder this question. Am I willing to invest in my community in order to make it a better place to live? Small communities are only as good as the amount of time and money that its citizens are willing to invest. Anyone living in Minonk should consider the welfare of its parks in the same manner as one would treat their own yard. The quality of our parks is a collective reflection of us all.

Many of Minonk's improvements and buildings were built by bequests from the estates of its residents. The Filger library was built on money left behind by David Filger, photographer Henry Pfaffle left money for new water mains, Henry Dornbush left a sizable amount to the Fieldcrest school district. Consider this. Wouldn't it be nice to donate some money to a project that will be completed while you are still alive? I personally feel that everyone should leave something in their estate for community use.

I have a suggestion that I think everyone would support. I propose that we as a community unite to donate money for building a Westside Park pavilion to not only serve as a memorial to the World War I veterans but also to serve as a memorial to those who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Everyone has felt the pain of the terrorist attacks.

Today (March 11) is the six-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our country. Communities all over the country are starting to build memorials in memory of those who died in the attacks. Building a memorial would not only be cathartic for everyone, but would show the rest of the world that we as a community share the pain of those victimized by the tragedy. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could dedicate the new Westside Park pavilion on September 11? It would be a great legacy for us to leave for future generations. What do you think?